Toms River To Put Armed Police In Schools

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Toms River schools will have armed police officers providing security under an ordinance introduced Tuesday night at the Toms River Township Council meeting.

The ordinance, which will be up for approval at the Aug. 28 meeting, will add 15 Class 3 officers to the Toms River police force's Special Law Enforcement Officer Unit in the 2018-2019 school year, with 10 officers assigned to Toms River Regional district schools and one assigned to Donovan Catholic, according to Police Chief Mitch Little. The remaining four will be substitutes, he said.

The Class 3 officer title was created by the state to allow towns and school districts to hire recently retired police officers to provided armed security in schools. They are paid a flat rate that does not add to their pension and there are no medical benefits tied to the Class 3 positions. The Toms River school district is splitting the cost of the Class 3 officers in its schools with the township, while Donovn Catholic will be paying for the officr in its school. Any private kindergarten-through-12th grade school that adds a Class 3 officer in the future would pay for that officer, according to the ordinance.

Special Law Enforcement Officrs are certified police officers who have completed additional training. The police department is in the process of filling those positions, officials said. To oversee the additional officers, the police department has formed a community affairs division that will be overseen by a lieutenant and two sergeants.

"The addition of the lieutenant, two sergeants and the SLEO officers assigned to our community affairs division could not have happened without the support of the mayor, town council and administration," Little said. "The additional school security is very important to us to ensure that our children are safe and protected."

"With the recent violence that has occurred in schools across the country, I thought it was necessary to take a proactive approach," Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher said.

The police department also will be hiring more Class 2 armed officers to provide more security at township parks, buildings and on the barrier island areas.

"We felt like it was important for the township to show support to the Board of Education and our residents, the students and parents that we are doing everything we can to keep them as safe as possible," Council President Brian Kubiel said.

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Photo via Toms River Police Department